


Jump Serve

by Vellevra



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), College AU, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Keith (Voltron), I just love that mutual oblivious pining, M/M, Minor Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Slow Burn, Team Bonding, Volleyball, Volleyball AU, its Voltron in spandex, klance, this was started before canon gay shiro dont @ me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-20 04:32:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9475829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vellevra/pseuds/Vellevra
Summary: Lance and Hunk join their desperate school volleyball team only to find something more than just a rag tag group of players. The net is set high but no matter how tall Lance is, he's still in way over his head.





	1. Tryouts

**Author's Note:**

> Lance didn't join the team cause of Keith, nah of course not

Lance and Hunk walked into the student lounge. The air smelled thick with coffee roast and most people enjoyed spending their free time here. College students littered the cozy chairs with books sprawled out on the tables. It was usually a comfortable place to stay, well, when lance wasn't around. 

He stopped in front of the notice board and his eyes lit up with childlike delight. 

"It says they need walk-ons for the team! Hunk, we show up, we knock it out of the fucking park, and everybody loves us!" 

"You can't 'knock' anything 'out of a park' in Volleyball," Lance mumbled "whatever" put Hunk pressed on, "And this, oh I don't know, has nothing to do with that Kieth guy on the team? You seem a little..obsessed with him." 

Hunk stood tall and wide behind Lance. He had a powerful look to him but anyone who knows Hunk knows he's anything but intimidating. Lance however, was thin and scrawny. He didn't have much muscle but he made up for it with his boisterous personality.

"No," Lance snapped back, "we're like rivals. He's always trying to one up me. We're just competitive." 

"Right" 

"But they need players, see," Lance ripped the flyer down and shoved it in Hunk's face, "plus you do have experience in volleyball. You said you used to play all the time in Samoa right?" 

Hunk curled at the question, "well yes, but that hasn't been for a long time." 

"Think about it," Lance put his arm around hunk and gestured through the air with the other, "you'd be back on the court playing... what position are you?" 

"Setter," Hunk said wistfully, "it would be great to play again." 

"Then it's settled," lance started walking towards the door backwards with the shaking flyer over his head, "we're trying out for the team." 

__________________________________________________

Lance didn't know what to wear. He'd watched some (okay maybe none but Hunk would be mad if he found out) volleyball games in preparation but he just wasn't sure. Basketball shorts? But weren't those for...basketball? The girls wear those tight booty shorts. And while Lance was certain he'd look fantastic in them, Hunk shutdown the idea. So basketball shorts it is then! 

They walked into the gym where tryouts were being held. Lance never spent much time there, and was surprised as to how large it was. The floor was polished hardwood with their school  
symbol in the center. The volleyball net was much taller to Lance in person than he realized it would be. Yet when he stood face to it with his arms raised, his fingers brushed over the top. 

"Alright, if you're trying out for the volleyball team please make your way to me." 

A man, who was probably nearing his last years in college, walked into the gym with a woman at his side. He was built, with muscles rippling his arms and chest. His hair was shaved on the sides but grown out on the top, with a white tuff in the front. The woman was elegant and regal but still looked like she could kick Lance's ass if she wanted to. And from the looks of it, she might want to. 

"I'm Shiro, and this is Allura. We're very happy you all came out today," Shiro gazed at the three people standing in front of him with pride, as if they were already on the team. 

The third party member, who Lance had only just taken note of, spoke up. 

"Hi, I'm Pidge," Pidge said with a wave, "since there are only three people trying out, do we still...have to tryout?" 

It was a fair question seeing as the team was in desperate need of players but Shiro only beamed with more coach like pride. 

"We still want to see the skills you have to offer the team before we make final decisions on positions. I will be judging you today because our official coach, Coran, couldn't make it." 

Hunk raised his hand timidly, "If Coach Coran couldn't make it, why not move tryouts to another day?" 

"Coran is actually at a coach's meeting right now planning our tournaments which is why it's most important that we continue with the team's agenda. We have little time before our first game." 

Allura spoke with an accent that Lance couldn't quite place. But it was so melodious he didn't even notice the mullet that just walked in. 

"I'm here sorry, I got caught up in my class" Keith put himself next to Lance. He wore red shorts with a tight black tank top. 

"Hm funny seeing you here," Lance said with a side eye at Keith 

"What do you mean? I was on the team last year, what are you doing here?" 

"I felt a calling," Lance shrugged, "this team needs players like Hunk and me." 

Keith laughed under his breath that sent a shiver up Lance's spine, "oh yeah, what position are you going for?" 

"Um uh, what position do you play?" 

"Outside hitter." Keith turned looking in Lance's eyes. Which only made Lance want to stutter more, but he swallowed his nerves and mustered up as much fake confidence as he could. 

"Yeah well you got some competition."

Lance didn't know what the outside hitter was, like at all...to his relief Shiro spoke up.

"So I'll go over all the positions before we begin," Shiro said quieting the team, "Six people play on the court at once, there are four positions. First is the middle blocker. Two people on the court play this position. They are generally the tallest on the team and their main job is to block oncoming hits from the opposing team. Next is the setter. They have to be quick and smart. They are involved in almost every play and are crucial to the game. They set up the hitters. Nothing can happen without a good setter. The outside hitters are generally the most consistent hitters on the team. They are athletic and strong. They have to be both proficient in defense and offense. Two people will play this position" 

Alright, Lance thought, best on the team I can work with that

"Right side or opposite," Shiro continued, "they hit from the right of the court and are well rounded hitters. They aren't used often but that just means their attacks must be quick and sharp. Only one person can play this position. Finally you will all need to know how to play back row defense and serve receive. Any questions," Shiro paused letting the information sink in, "Alright lets warm up. I'll be with Pidge, Allura go with Hunk, and Keith take Lance."

Great fucking great

Keith led Lance towards the end of the gym as everyone else paired up. Lance was really beginning to wonder why he did this. Because he needed to prove something? Because of his past? Because of Keith...

Keith slammed the ball on the ground and it sailed towards Lance, "You ready, lets start with some arm stretches." 

Okay, yeah, definitely not because of Keith. He's an ass. With his stupid tight shirt and dumb muscles.

After a few throws at the ground (how was this warming up his arms Lance didn't know) Keith threw the ball up in the air and passed it towards Lance. Lance, not knowing what to do, caught the ball. 

"Um what are you doing?" he asked holding the ball under his arm. 

Keith sighed and put his hand on his forehead, "please tell me you didn't come here not even knowing how to bump," Lance made a few mumbling noises, "ah forget it come here dipshit." 

Keith walked over and grabbed Lance's hands, he flushed as his fingers thumbed his own, but he kept his composure. 

"What are you doing?" Lance asked for probably the thousandth time today. 

"You have to learn how to bump. It's the platform of the game, literally. Bump, set, spike. The back row bumps the ball, the setter sets it, and the hitters spike it down. Three touches and it has to be over the net and it can't happen without a good pass," Keith spoke while aligning Lance's hands, "there are a lot of forms but I'll show you mine. Put your fingers criss-crossed and tuck your thumbs together. Keep your elbows straight and bump the ball off of the flat of your wrist, not your hand."

The boys began a simple drill called peppering. You bump the ball to your partner, the other sets it, you hit it back down, and repeat. At first Lance had trouble. Keith kept on telling him useless things like "stay low" and "don't swing your arms use your legs" and "I can't believe I have to deal with you." 

After a few minutes though Lance was really getting the hang of it. His passes were high enough for Keith to set the ball and his swings were straight. Keith even seemed impress that Lance could set pretty good too. Not that his approval mattered to him. 

Eventually the two were having a volley and Keith was... was he laughing? Even cheering him on? Lance knew Keith wasn't just some emotionless robot but he'd never seen him have so much fun. The sight was enough to put a smile on Lance's face. 

The rest of the tryout went rather smoothly. Shiro went over how to approach for a hit. Pidge surprisingly had an epic lateral jump. Her whole body was practically above the net and she hit the ball with such strength it was enough to make Lance shake in his knee pads. 

Hunk excelled in the setting drills. It was obvious how happy he was to be playing volleyball again. Maybe it reminded him of home. Lance wished the memories that came to his mind were as sweet as Hunk's and not so painful. He absentmindedly rubbed his left shoulder. 

The unmistakable shrill of a whistle ripped Lance of his thoughts and his arm fell to his side. Shiro's voiced echoed across the now silent gym.

"Everybody shag the balls, I think we've seen enough for today." 

Everyone ran around the gym shagging (why couldn't they just say pick up or clean? Seriously?) and made their way to Shiro and Allura. 

"We see a lot of great potential here today," Shiro began beaming with pride once more, "and I'm very happy to say we've decided to accept you all." 

A murmur of excitement swept the small group. Hunk's eyes almost started watering. Keith gave a half smile. 

"Guess we have to be teammates now." 

The words felt strange being directed towards Lance. He couldn't quite understand it. He'd met these people only two hours ago and now he was committing to spend most of his free time with them. He was apart of something. Something that seemed small, and yet, he had the feeling it was much bigger. Something more. 

Shiro stretched his arms out with his palms up. He smiled and the scar across the bridge of his nose crinkled in the corners.

"Welcome to the team!"


	2. A Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little Valentines update for ya

The morning sun blazed through Lance's window and casted shadows across his dorm room floor. His books were strewn on his desk and the foot of his bed. The air breathing its way through the crack in the window was clear and fresh. His sheets were just the right softness. His brown hair was flattened against the pillow in the most unruly style. His eyelashes fluttered and his cheeks peeled into the smallest smile.

Aaaaand it was ruined. 

His alarm shrieked as his phone started to blast "Work" by Rihanna. Lance didn't want to work at all. He hated Saturday morning practice. 

Hunk went home this weekend, which is a good thing because he would have dragged Lance by the ankles to get out of bed.

While Hunk is from Samoa, his family moved to the West Coast when he was young. He grew up and met Lance in high school. By fate they went to the same college. Lance was happy he never had to say goodbye to his best friend. It would have been to hard. Now he even gets to live with him. If they didn't go to the same school it would have felt painfully empty.

But fuck that and good riddance cause Lance wanted an extra 5 minutes to sleep. 

Consequently he ran to the gym 10 minutes later, still half asleep with a toothpaste stain on his shirt. 

Just as he got to the doors his phone started buzzing. Shiro decided that since they were a small, inexperienced team they would need to bond more. To create some kind of special team dynamic. This apparently meant having a group chat where he planned multiple bonding events. They were supposed to go paint balling one weekend, unlikely.

Shiro: Hey team! No practice for today enjoy the weekend

"Guess we didn't get the memo" 

Lance almost dropped his phone. He jerked around to find a sleepy Keith with purple bags under his eyes. His hair was hastily thrown into a bun. The first time Lance saw him like that it made his legs weak. Now he was accustomed to it, well more or less. 

He would have used his usual defense mechanism of making fun of Keith but his mind was just to slow this morning. 

"Yeah, what are we suppose to do now," Lance asked trying to remain casual. 

Keith rubbed his eye and let out a yawn, "I think I'll just go for a run, if you'd like to come..." His voice trailed with a hint of anticipation. As if he was anxious for Lance's answer. Lance was rather oblivious. 

"A run..?" 

It wasn't so much lance didn't know what a run was, it was more the unspoken question. 'A run...with you?' 

"Yeah you know, a run. I mean I get it, if you think you're to slow." Keith smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing and that did it for Lance. 

He could deny any attraction he felt towards Keith but once that boy challenged him, their relationship took on a whole different persona. The mountains of sexual tension between them seem to grow closer. But neither of them ever seemed to notice when they were bickering.

Their relationship had two settings. Awkwardly casual or irritatingly sensual. 

"Me? To slow? You're about to eat your words and it's going to taste like my dust." 

__________________________________________________

The boys walked to a park just off of campus. The trees become thicker as they strolled deeper down the trail. Sunlight rolled down the canopy and made Lance's hair dance with golden highlights. The path was worn dirt and Lance complained that it was getting into his socks as he walked. Naturally, Keith made fun of him.

"Would you knock it off. Did you think there wasn't going to be any dirt?"

Lance threw his arms in exaggeration, "No smartass. God I swear I've had a rock in my shoe since we passed the bridge." 

Keith laughed, "What happened to Lance 'you're going to eat my dust' McClain?" 

Lance pushed his shoulder, "oh yeah? Mr. Keith 'I think I'm so fast' Kogane"

"Alright alright," Keith held up his arms in surrender and then shrugged, "how about a race?" 

"You're on." 

The two boys stopped and prepared themselves. Lance began doing some mock stretches.

Keith cocked his head, letting strands of hair fall into his face, "You're going down pretty boy." 

"Hey hey, now don't try to distract me with compliments." Lance knew he was just poking fun but he couldn't help secretly wondering if there was any truth behind it. 

He thinks I'm pretty? I'll show him pretty.

"Alright on the count of three," Keith turned to Lance, "1...2...."

"3," Lance finished his sentence and took off.

He threw all his momentum forward and let the wind ripple his clothes. Lance always liked running. It released him. Made him feel detached from wherever he was running from and whatever he was running to. He forged straight ahead without any particular direction. 

Even with a small head start, Keith gaining on him. His eyes were smiling widely but his lips only curled into a small smirk. Within seconds he was at Lance's side, shoving him slightly with his elbows. 

God he was such a jackass

"You know you're such a jackass." 

"Oh yeah," Keith questioned, "a jackass who's going to beat you." 

Keith surged in front of Lance. Lance, however being Lance, took this as a golden opportunity.

"That's fine I'll just sit back and enjoy the view." 

"You'll what now?!" 

In one chaotic motion Kieth looked over his shoulder to yell at Lance and lost his footing. The last thing he saw was Lance's smug face trying to contain his laughter. Until, of course.. Lance fell over Keith. 

He grabbed onto him in hopes of catching himself, but it wasn't the brightest idea to try and stop falling by grabbing onto someone who was also falling. 

Keith's back took most of the fall and Lance landed sprawled on top of him. His left hand was above Keith's head while his right was intertwined with the other boy's hand. 

He lifted himself up, supporting himself with his left arm. He met Keith's eyes and stopped struggling. Dirt was smudged under his chin and powdered his hair. He wanted to fix it but realized he couldn't bring himself to let go of Keith's hand. 

They laid there in a trance for what felt like hours but was only a few seconds. Keith moved first, using his free hand to push aside the dangling hair in front of Lance's eyes that he didn't even notice was there. 

Lance's vision felt like it had sharpened. A wave of panic washed over him like a monsoon and he scrambled off of Keith. 

"What.. what do you think you're doing!" 

Lance rubbed his right hand, he didn't realize how tense he had been. 

"I I was just," Keith stammered suddenly realizing he was still lying on the ground, "I wouldn't, we wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't distracted me!"

"Oh so it's my fault you don't know how to use two feet at one time" Lance sat up on his knees. 

"Just..just forget it," Keith collected himself and stood up, "let's get back to campus. And not a word of this to the team. Shiro would kill us." 

"Yeah I'm sure he has a rule against teammates falling over each other in the woods" 

Lance picked himself up and started following Keith back down the path. 

"No," Keith shot back, "but he won't be happy to find out how incompetent you are."

Lance didn't feel like arguing any further. His mind and heart were still racing somewhere else in the woods. So he followed Keith in silence, hoping he'd find himself before he got home.


	3. A Note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little while, I got really busy. Should be back to a regular update soon!

"I can't I just can't" Lance paced his room while Hunk sat cross legged on his bed. 

Hunk looked pensively at Lance but only shrugged, "I don't see what the big deal is. So you have a crush on him? What's so bad"

Lance stopped in his tracks, "what's so bad? I'll tell you what's so bad," he took a step towards Hunk, "It's... it's Keith! He's brash and god so annoying. And now I just, like him? What want to be with him? We're like rivals, always neck and neck. He probably hates me." 

"Well first you're the only one who thinks you're rivals," Lance assumed his pacing again while Hunk spoke, "you two actually make a good team when you work together. And the arguing? It's cute, like you two are balancing each other. Like an old married couple." 

Lance heaved an emotional sigh and let himself fall on his bed.

"God I don't even know how I feel about him. All I know is we had this moment. I looked at him and I just froze. I don't even know what I felt. I don't even know if he felt it too." 

Lance closed his eyes and put his hands over his face, letting his feelings consume him. He was so engrossed in his thoughts he screamed when the door flew open. 

"I KNEW IT." 

Pidge barged into the room with her hands held triumphantly over her head. 

Lance quickly regained his posture and tried not to look like he was having a heart attack. 

"You know what now?" 

Pidge just shrugged, "how gay you are for Keith." 

Lance's jaw fell to the floor, "you.. you were listening to our conversation weren't you!" 

"Oh please," Pidge crossed her arms, "I didn't have to. I have eyes. And ears. All the arguing with you two," Pidge clasped her hands and fluttered her eyelashes in a mock imitation of Lance, "oh Keith you're such a jerk it's all your fault and blah blah blah" 

Hunk was trying to contain his laughter as he spoke, "that sounds about perfect I think." 

"Oh no it's not," Lance pointed his finger at Pidge, "you I swear I'm gonna-" 

Pidge cut him off, "you're not going to do anything about me. The real question is what are you going to do about Keith." 

Lance found himself right back where he started. Except now he had his best friend and a pint sized Dr. Phil from hell. How could they even help him? Lance didn't even know what he wanted.

Hunk squeezed his pillow against his stomach, "why don't you just go on a date with him." 

Lance made a sour face, "but it's Keith" 

"Okay well do you like him?" 

"I think I do" Lance let the tension release from his fists for only a second, "I- I don't know." 

Hunk held up his hands,"so go out with him. Just see what its like"

"But," Lance's face constricted with discomfort, "but it's Keith!" 

Hunk slumped back onto his bed, "fine don't date him." 

"Wait but," Lance fell onto his bed again, "I don't know." 

"Oh my god would you please stop being so contradictory," Pidge rubbed their temple like they were in pain, "how about you write it down. Just write all the reasons why you're interested in him. Maybe then you'll realize if you actually want to be." 

The idea appealed to Lance. At the very least he'd be able to write down his feelings. Even if it didn't magically help him decide. 

"What like make a list?" Hunk asked skeptically. 

"No no, I like this idea" Lance's voice trailed off as he reached for a pen and paper on his desk

It seemed juvenile and childish, like he was writing in a diary. But hey, he wasn't hearing any better ideas. 

He sat down at his desk and stared at the paper, like he was trying to write an essay on a book he didn't read. 

And then it hit him. 

Like watching a movie in fast forward images of Kieth came flooding into his mind. He could practically hear his monotone voice, and how high pitched it became when Lance teased him. 

Lance just began to write. His hand worked slowly but, his mind was on high speed. He wrote about how undeniably attractive Keith is to anyone who looks at him. How smart he can be. How brave he found him. 

When the pencil no longer had a point Lance stopped. He didn't even notice his labored breathing until he came to his senses and realized his friends were still standing behind him. Staring at the piece of paper that was now covered top to bottom. 

Instinctively he folded it, hiding everything that was written. 

"Okay, now I really think you should go out with him," Hunk said in awe. 

"No no no," anger began to bubble in Lance's throat, "this is exactly why I can't 'just go out with him.' Its to much..I can't, I can't do it."

Pidge just stood there. Lance couldn't blame them, they really only just met. And now they were watching Lance in such a vulnerable state. It wasn't right, and Lance hated being so exposed. 

"It doesn't matter how I might feel about him," Lance said trying convince himself, "I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Keith is Keith. And I'm just me." 

Lance said 'me' with a surprising lack of confidence. His insecurities seethed through his words and his disguise of charisma was gone. 

"He's also my teammate. My teammate for a team we have practice to get to." 

Lance grabbed a book off the shelf above his desk, Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare. He placed the folded paper in between the front cover and the first page. It looked like just a normal book, no one would be able to tell the difference. But Lance's eyes seemed to see through the hardcover and bore into the paper. 

Lance picked up his duffle bag and headed for the door. They still had time until practice started but he wanted any excuse to leave the room and his problems behind.

Hunk bounced off his bed, collecting his own things, "Yeah I guess you're right, Coach Coran will have us do crazy eights if we're late again." 

Lance shuttered, "he can be a little to.. excitable." 

"Dude that's Allura's cousin," Hunk said following Lance out the door. 

"So she's related to the coach and sleeping with the captain," Pidge was the last one out of the room and she closed the door as they left, "go figure." 

__________________________________________________

 

Lance wanted to get away from his problems, so it's just his luck he'd have to go to the one place where he'd need to stare his problem right in the face. 

Keith stood on the opposite side of the net, jumping in time with Lance, practicing their blocks. 

"Again! You need to be able to block in a game, where everyone's eyes are on you, the pressure is on, the other team..." 

Coach Coran's voice faded away as Lance began to tune him out. He was just rambling on with another one of his stories from his college career. 

"At first it was kind of cool, by now I've heard most of them" 

Lance almost didn't register who was speaking. It was the first time Keith had spoken to him since the park a few days ago. Lance had been, not so subtly, avoiding him. 

Struck by the sudden conversation, Lance was noticeably lost. As if reading his mind Keith spoke again.

"Coach Coran, and his stories. He starts to say the same ones over again after a while. You get used to it." 

Lance was dumbfounded by how casual Keith was being. Lance couldn't even look at him the same way, and Keith was acting as if nothing was different. Maybe nothing was different. Maybe Lance had just misread the whole situation. 

"I think he makes most of them up, one time I swear he was retelling the plot to 'A League of Their Own'," Lance said in a desperate attempt to make conversation. 

Keith raised his eyebrow, as the boys jumped in unison once more, "Really? I've never seen it." 

"You're kidding right," Lance's heart felt lighter in his chest, "its a classic! The women make their own baseball team during World War II? You have to at least know what I'm talking about." 

"I really don't. What if..," Keith paused, "what if you show it to me sometime." 

Lance hit the the floor unexpectedly hard. Like his feet were just as surprised to hear Keith's request. 

He knew he shouldn't. He didn't know what he wanted from Keith. He didn't even know what Keith wanted from him. But the thought of being alone with him, watching a movie, was to good to resist. 

"Ye-yeah. Why don't you come by my dorm Friday night?" 

Lance and Keith stopped jumping and gazed at each other through the net. Keith's lips curved into the most irresistible smile. It couldn't just be Lance who felt this way, could it? There must be, there had to be, some unspoken attraction between the two. 

"I'll be there" 

Coach Coran's whistle shrieked through the gym and the bang of feet hitting the floor stopped. 

"Alright, great work today everyone. You're starting to look like a real team and just in time for the big game on Saturday!" 

Shiro took a step towards Coach Coran, "don't forget the day before the game we're all going paint balling. As a treat for working so hard the past few weeks." 

"Wait, time out," Hunk stepped forward making a "T" with his hands, "we're actually going paint balling? I thought that was a joke." 

Shiro looked at Allura and shrugged, "you've all been practicing hard and it should be good to have one last team bonding exercise before our first game." 

"Pft forget team bonding," Lance shoved Keith with his shoulder, "I'm taking Keith down" 

Keith reciprocated an insult and before Lance knew what was happening, the two were arguing again. Jeer after jeer flew between them, but it felt different from their past quarrels. It felt flirty even. 

Lance found himself smiling as they cleaned up the gym. Thinking maybe the reality of Keith and himself being together wasn't far at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will get heated soon....I promise


End file.
